Always
by What About Scout
Summary: Piper and Leo travel back to see some of Piper's past lives, and they get to understand that they were ALWAYS (hint, hint. read the title) meant to be together. WARNING: major P&L, so back away if u don't like them (coughinsanecough)
1. The Beginning

A/N:** Hi.  
**Disclaimer:** I disclaim.  
**A/N #2:** Wassup peoples?!? Okay, look, I'm trying to write this story to stimulate something in my brain to write in other stories (coughHOUSEScoughHOME SWEET HOME) Hear me brain? Think!!!!! For the Love of humanity, think! Anyway, me and Brain are gonna have a talk later. (She's kinda rebellious) Enjoy, and please R&R...**

()()()()()

"Ugh, what do They want now?" Piper groaned.

Leo looked up and listened to the message run through his head. "They say it's important," he informed Piper.

"Hurry," Piper pleaded.

"I'll try." Leo orbed out.

Piper sighed. She looked up as her sisters came running down the stairs and into the kitchen where she was standing, coffee in hand. She handed Prue a cup, and handed Phoebe another.

"Morning."

"Gooood morning," Prue said happily.

"Whoa, what's with the happy?" Piper asked.

"Nothing, except for the fact that we haven't had any demon attacks for a week. I've been able to catch up on my _beauty_ _sleep_."

"Hmm, looks like you're not done," Phoebe joked.

Prue smiled sarcastically. Piper smiled at the joke. The three sisters walked into the living room and sat down. It had

"Hey, where's Leo?" Phoebe asked.

"Up There," Piper sighed.

"For how long?"

"About… forty-five seconds now."

"Well that's not too long."

Leo orbed in.

"That was quick."

"Yeah, well, it's also important," Leo told Piper.

"What? A demon?" Prue asked, not wanting a "yes" to be her answer.

"No."

"Oh, thank God," Prue breathed.

"Actually, it's a little more important."

"I don't understand."

The three Halliwell sisters sat on the couch. Leo sat on the chair across from them. "The Elders…" he started. "The Elders want to reward you for working so faithfully on the side of Good for so long."

All three sisters smiled.

"They're granting you the chance to see your past lives. At least, the most important ones. The ones that shaped who were are today the most."

Prue's face fell. "That's it? They reward us by letting us see our past lives, then they say we can't even see all of them?"

"Hey, they only let whitelighters see their past lives. I know it doesn't seem like much, but it's for perspective. To remind you of who you are and of who you were. They don't want you to lose yourselves in the jobs of being witches," Leo explained.

"So when do we go?" Piper asked.

"Actually, it gets a little worse."

"How?"

"Only _one_ of you can go. The others have to stay here."

"What?" Prue objected.

"Then who?" Phoebe asked.

"They can't choose for you. Free will. You guys will have to decide yourselves who gets to go."

"We have to decide?"

"Yeah, and you have until tomorrow morning."

"That's it?"

"Tomorrow morning one of you will get to see your past lives. One of you."

"What do you mean by 'the most important ones'?" Piper asked.

"Well, all of your past lives are important. They're all essential to making each of you who you are today. Some of these past lives are even _more_ important. The lessons learned are greater, the lives you led were harder or easier. When your looking for perspective, that's what you go for," Leo answered. "It's your decision to decide who goes," he reminded. "Let me know tomorrow morning. I'll take you to the first one."

"Wait, you get to see _all_ of your past lives _and_ ours?"

"Well, if it helps, it's not all of yours. Besides, you'll need a ride home."

_(that night)_

"So…" Phoebe started, coming into Prue's room. They sat on her bed.

"What do you think?"

It was nighttime by now, but the sisters hadn't talked about who would get to go.

"I think if Billy and Joyce don't get back together--"

"Not about a soap opera. About--"

"I know what you meant…" Phoebe took in a breath and let it out slowly. "And I think it's a cool chance for us, but that it sucks that only one of us can go."

"And that we can't go with to see, anyway," Piper added, standing in the doorway.

"Piper, pull up a bed."

Piper sat on the bed between Prue and Phoebe. "We should at least be able to all go together, even if it's only for one of us."

"Yeah, I mean, we're family in every life," Prue stated.

"Sisters," Phoebe suggested.

"Cousins," Piper added.

"Ugh, don't remind me…" Phoebe groaned.

"So if we're family in every life, we have to be in each others' past lives. So we could go to see all of us at once."

"Yeah, but I think it would center around one sister," Piper said, taking the hope out of Prue's voice.

"Yeah…"

"Okay, we can't sit around and wish it could be different. We have to make a decision," Phoebe said.

Piper nodded her agreement.

"Well, I think I kinda want to know what I was like throughout time…" Prue said.

"Not me." Phoebe shook her head.

"Huh?"

"I already know. I was evil."

"Only in that one. You're _good_ here. Maybe you had some non-demonic Antons in the past," Prue said. She and Piper both laughed.

"Maybe we'll have past lives that are normal. No magic. I mean, our past lives don't have to be in our family," Piper spoke up.

"No, they don't…"

"So that leaves you and Piper." Phoebe scooted back on the bed.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I got to see one of my past lives. It's one of your turns now."

"Okay…"

"Prue, I think you should go. I mean, you've always been the one who does all the work and doesn't get the benefits," Piper said.

"You should. I can't miss work."

"That's not the point."

"No. I think you should go, Piper. I mean, Leo's going, too, so you'll get to see some of his past lives, too. You could learn something."

"Where'd you get that idea?" Piper asked.

"Think about it, Piper. You and Leo have been together in every life. That means that if he was in it, you were in it. That's a past life for both of you at once. You could even meet Lily." Phoebe voice had a "duh" tone to it.

Piper considered the possibilities. "No, it's selfish. Prue should go. She deserves a break. Maybe _she_ could learn something from the Past Prues."

"I don't want to learn anything from Past Prue, or whatever my name… names were. I want to try to make it work for Present Prue. Piper, you have to go."

"I can't--Really?"

"Yeah. Go have fun. Watch Past Piper run around. And remember everything. Take a camera or something."

Piper smiled.

_(the next morning)_

"You sure about this?" Leo asked the sisters.

"Yeah. Just uh, be careful. And be back--"

"It could be weeks to us, but it'll only feel like hours here," Leo cut Phoebe off.

"Oh. That's good."

"We'll be back," Piper repeated for about the seventh time that hour.

"Okay. Have fun."

"Bye," Piper cut it short, not letting her sisters say their everlasting goodbyes.

Piper and Leo orbed out.

()()()()()

A/N: **I know, it was kinda... Well, it didn't feel like me. (I blame it on Brain.) But just so you know, each chapter will be another past life, starting way, way, way, way, way far back and coming forward. That means there'll be about five or six chapters to the whole thing. But the chapters will be long. That, or I'll have to...name them... Formal names. Yeah.**

**Okay, ignore me. Just please review! I love it when you do!**

**PS: My brain hates me.**


	2. 1550 pt1

A/N: **Okay, I got some things to say...  
#1--The italics are Piper & Leo from the present, the ones that went back in time. The non-italics is the past life writing. is that confusing? I hope not...  
#2--Yes, they will be called Piper, Leo, Prue, and Phoebe. No new names, except for _one_ past life, but I'll let you know when it'll happen. It might not, who knows?  
#3--Chapters in this fic _will_ contain spoilers for Love is a Myth, and spoilers for other fics I will put up, so if in the future something seems familiar, it could probably be found here.  
#4--I'll name the chapters by which life they're in. (i.e., Lioness Pt1 is this one, because it's based in the country of Lioness. I'll explain their background more in the upcoming chapters, and a little in this one)  
#5--(I'm almost done!!!) It's pronounced LEOness. Not like the lion, but like our favorite guy! LEOness, only I always seemed to spell it L-I-O-N-E-S-S  
#6--R&R!**

**Whew! I'm _finally_ done! Okay, read on, people!**

()()()()()

_"Where are we?"_

_"You tell me."_

_"What?" Piper turned to face Leo. She looked back out at the valley below them. They were standing on a cliff, overlooking seemingly endless fields of green grass on the soft rolling hills. As she looked out, she could see a stone wall, a very large one. There was a castle coming up out of it. They were in the dark ages._

_"We're in Europe?"_

_"1550."_

_"And I lived in there?"_

_"I don't know. Let's go find out."_

_"Okay…"_

()

"Piper!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

"Where are you?" Prue yelled.

"Hello!" Phoebe cried, running up to her sisters.

"Phoebe!" Piper jumped out from the side of the large barn that housed twenty-five horses.

Prue ran up. "Hi."

"Hi."

Their long simple dressed were all white, but stained with dirt and mud. Prue's dark hair was down, and it grew a few inches past her shoulders. Piper's long hair was down, as well, and was a lot longer than Prue's. But Phoebe's hair was the longest, down by her waist. It was back in a braid that had just been redone. She had finally been able to get away from the Baroness' home where the sisters lived.

Someone rode up to them on horseback. The sisters looked up to see who it was. Piper's face brightened. She ran up to meet the horse.

"Hi!"

"Piper."

"What?"

"Nothing. You're just… excited. What happened?"

"You came," Piper answered.

()

"Oh my God, is that us?" Piper asked.

"You sound surprised."

"No, it's… It's not that. Look. How old are we?" Piper asked aloud. She studied these younger versions of herself and her sisters and even Leo, who came up on horseback. "Prue's… twenty… Phoebe's about fourteen or fifteen, and I'm… I'm what, seventeen?"

"I think so."

"And you're about seventeen, too."

"Yeah."

"Look at how we're dressed, me and my sisters… What are we, maids?"

"Actually… Yeah. You've been maids since you were very young, but there was nothing any of you could do about it, because no one listened. You worked for the Baroness Jacqueline. She… She didn't treat you right."

"How do you know all of this?"

"Because that is my past life there, so technically I've already seen this."

"Cheater."

"Well, also, that kid there, he met this Piper when they were ten."

"So seven years?"

"Yes. You won't be able to see it, but they stayed friends with no one knowing it for five years, then when they were fifteen, they fell in love."

"Aw…"

"But."

"But…"

"But she is a maid in Lioness. That's where we are right now. And he… He's the heir to the throne in Camelot."

"Nuh uh!"

"It's true. They kept their relationship a secret for a very long time… When he turned sixteen, his father told him that he could court and marry any wealthy woman. So they came up with a few made up loves, and kept themselves secret from Lioness and Camelot."

"That's so sweet."

()

Leo jumped off of his horse as Piper took the reins and led her away. Phoebe took the horse into the barn.

"You shouldn't be here, though, you know," Piper said regretfully.

"Why not?"

"It's broad daylight!"

"I missed you." Leo took a step toward Piper.

Piper didn't back away. She smiled as he took another step. "I missed you, as well, but it's too risky for you to be here right now."

"It's worth it just to see your face."

"You can see my face," Piper asked flatly.

"Well, not right now. It's hidden under that dirt."

Piper smiled. There was a patch of dried mud on her cheek, another on her forehead. She and her sisters had had a mud fight, and she had taken two direct blows to the face.

Leo smiled back and rested one hand on her cheek, gently brushing the caked mud away. His hand trailed up to her forehead and brushed it clean, too. He kissed her forehead, then her cheek, then her lips. Seconds later, he withdrew, and she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

"You guys are so sweet…" Prue sighed.

Piper smiled from Leo's embrace, but didn't move. He rested his cheek on the top of her head and closed his eyes, and she leaned into his chest.

"Still…" he started, pulling away. "I don't want to think about them."

"Them," Prue repeated.

"Yeah."

"So how _is_ it going with 'them' and the castle?" Phoebe asked.

"Ride by sometime and you'll find out," Leo answered.

"Yeah, we're covering for Piper all the time…"

"Yes, and if you fell in love with a prince, I'd cover for you, too," Piper told Prue.

"Yeah, well, besides Lioness and Camelot, there's no other country around here for me. Besides, Lioness has a princess, and you already stole Leo."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. You guys go. Me and Phoebe are going for a walk, anyway. The Baroness won't be home until tomorrow, so feel free to roam," Prue told Piper and Leo.

"Yes, Mother," Piper teased.

"Go, before I change my mind."

"Okay." Piper ran into the barn and came out with her horse's reins in one hand, Leo's horse's reins in the other. They both jumped on their horses, said goodbye to Prue and Phoebe, and rode away from the mansion and barn, down the hill into the forests.

()

"I want to know more."

"You will."

"I want to know more about us. About them_. I want to know," Piper said eagerly, excitement clear in her voice._

"You will. Just watch," Leo told her.

()()()()()

A/N: **I'm baaaaaaack! Okay, I forgot to mention something! The single ()s are just jumping back and forth with conversation between present P&L and past people. Oh, and they are there watching everything from the sidelines. And uh, Leo knew about it because he already saw it. (since he's in the past life, it was his past life, too, so when he got to be a whitelighter, they showed him--Pardon My Past, he talks about how they do that.)**

**Okay, I'll shut up now and hope you guys don't get all too confused. If you do, please let me know! Till next time!**


	3. 1550 pt2

A/N:** Hello! Me again! With another chapter! Okay, I want to put up a little summary right now for this section of this fic, something I shoudl have done in the previous chapter, but...**

SUMMARY: **This section is set in 1550, in England. Leo is the Prince of Camelot, but it's not the same Camelot as in the myth. It's my Camelot. Just a name to another country. Camelot is real big and nice and all, and it watches over Lioness (LEO-ness. Remember that, for my sake!) because the neighbor country is so small. Piper and her sisters have been servants since they were real little.  
Piper and Leo met when they were ten, and got to be good friends. No one knew about it, though, but the two of them and Piper's sisters, and the other servants at the Baroness' home. A Baroness is like a woman with a lot of money, I think. Jacqueline is very mean to the girls. She sold them to another family once, but got them back.  
Piper sneaks into the castle with Leo sometimes, but they spend most of their time together between Lioness and Camelot in the forests. Now, Leo's father, the King of Camelot, said a year ago, when P&L were 16, that Leo could court and marry. They've had to come up with fake relationships, and that might be mentioned now and then...**

**Okay, if I remember something else, I'll be in bold! Don't forget to R&R!**

()()()()()

Piper woke the next morning in a very familiar place. She glanced around the chambers she was in, smiling at the closed door. It was pitch black, but she knew what was in the room, and knew that the door was closed. From the outside hallway, one wouldn't know the secrets that were held behind that door.

As Piper's scanned the room, her eyes fell on Leo. He was awake and watching her curiously.

"What are you thinking?" Leo asked.

"Just that I hope no person comes through that door."

They both smiled.

"I will have to be leaving very soon…"

"Don't go." Leo rolled over. With Piper under him, he propped himself up on his elbows and cupped her cheeks in his hands, stroking them with his thumbs. "You don't have to." He kissed her.

"I do. The Baroness with be back at lunch. If the work is not done--"

He kissed her again, this time to quiet to. "Very well. It's still dark out. We'll leave now."

"Now."

"Yes. You want to. Come." Leo pulled Piper up and out of the bed. She wrapped the sheet around her body. "Ah… Now why did you have to go and do that?"

Piper smiled. Leo took the edges of the sheet from her and pulled it loose, not taking his eyes away from her own. She stared at him as the sheet dropped. His eyes left her face and scanned her body, but he didn't move.

"We don't have all day, Leo. We must leave now," Piper reminded him.

Leo groaned.

()

"Why do I… Why does she have to be back by dawn?" Piper asked.

"The woman she works for--the Baroness--doesn't like her sisters. She treats them terribly, and always has. A few years back, they tried to escape, and she caught them. It was downhill from then on. She's just playing it safe."

"…She doesn't want to leave…"

"No, she doesn't."

()

Piper and Leo rode through the woods near the gates of Lioness. It was there that they almost always split up. It was far enough away from the guards to be safe, and Piper could pass through without Leo, which would leave him free of answering the guards as to why he was there.

"Well, then, Milady, I'll leave you at the gates."

"You mean in the forest?"

"You know what I mean."

"Do I?"

"You should."

"I will meet you, then, tonight."

"I hope so."

"I'll try. Promise. I'll finish all of my work and slip away."

"Then get going." Leo leaned to the side in his saddle and pushed Piper's horse with his foot. "I'll meet you there before sundown."

"An hour earlier, I know."

"You're so smart."

"I know." Piper smiled. Without another word, she disappeared into the forests.

Leo watched her go before turning his horse around and riding back into Camelot, being sure to ride around the gates and into fields that led straight up to the castle.

()

"Why didn't… he… just go through the gates?"

"Think about it. If they went through the gates, the guards would question them. It's safer to take the long way."

"Oh…"

"They had to keep their relationship a secret. It was hard, but there was no other way."

()

"Keep your head up," Leo directed later that day.

Piper lifted up her chin. "Okay, okay, now stop bossing me around," she complained. She looked at Leo, staring at her as if she were some maniac. She burst out laughing.

"Okay, Piper, if you've got a case of the giggles, then I will go home to Camelot and send you back to work," Leo said, turning for his horse.

"No! No, Leo, I promise I will concentrate. It won't happen again," Piper swore. She had thrown her sword into the ground and was running to him. "Please?" she begged.

"Fine," Leo agreed, knowing his simple plan had worked.

"Great!" Piper ran back and pulled her sword out of the ground as Leo got his from his horse's saddle. He walked up to Piper. She stood ready, but her legs were shaking and he knew she was barely able to concentrate.

()

"What are they doing?"

"Sword fighting. He starting teaching her when they were sixteen. She caught on quickly, and very well."

"Why do they do that?"

"To learn. For fun. For something to do."

"Sounds more painful than fun…" Piper said.

"You used to like it," Leo pointed out.

"Yeah. In 1550," Piper laughed.

()

They touched the tips of the lethal weapons together and rolled them in a semicircle. Leo went on offense and Piper defended herself. He took a jab near her stomach and she blocked and pushed him away, taking a step back as he went forward.

"Don't back up too much, Piper. And don't turn your back," Leo reminded.

"Don't talk too much Leo, it's the same as turning your back," Piper replied. She took the chance Leo wasn't paying attention to go on offense and pushed him back with a blow near his chest. "See?"

"Stay low."

"Ah, push it."

She attacked Leo, backing him into a tree. He spun around to the other side and she followed. He whipped back around to face her and blocked a blow near his head, nearly missing. She took a stab at his stomach and he blocked again.

Piper made the mistake of backing up too much and was once again on defense. She held her sword with one hand as she jumped up onto a rock and blocked Leo three times before she was able to jump down and block him in midair.

Their swords clashed together in the air and swooped down to the side. Piper took the advantage and swung low. Leo had to jump to keep her from cutting his leg. She attacked him full force and hit the sword from his hand. She pushed him against another tree and held the tip of the weapon at his throat.

"Round One, Piper," she said breathlessly. She backed away, always keeping her eyes on Leo, and knelt down to throw his sword at him. "I'm not finished."

Leo took a step forward and took a stab at Piper's stomach. She blocked him off and was forced to back up. She finally held him steady when she blocked him with her sword just near her face. For a second neither moved, and Piper reacted by swiping down Leo's chest, ripping his shirt.

"Not bad," Leo said.

"I know."

Piper backed away and so did Leo. She watched him curiously as he took off his shirt and grabbed his sword again, ready to fight in only pants.

"Now I'm getting mixed signals here," Piper said. "Should I fight or are we taking a break to… not fight?" She smiled.

"Ha ha, grab your sword," Leo said. "I'm not finished," he mocked.

Piper took a step backward. Big mistake. Leo came at her, blow after blow, forcing her to keep taking steps back until she was up against a different tree. She pushed his sword away and stepped forward, but Leo was relentless. Piper blocked him as fast as she could, but he was gaining on her and she was backing away. He took a low slash at her legs and cut her skirt at the bottom. Piper backed away and ripped it off.

"That's very clever, Leo, but it's not going to get me to take this dress off and fight naked," she teased, a little glint in her eye.

"Funny, but it was only payback."

"Ah, well, I think it worked out better on my side than it did on yours…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo dropped his guard, seeing as Piper was down, too.

"It means I got you topless and all you did was get my dress up two inches."

"Ah, well…" Leo took advantage of the fact that Piper wasn't paying much attention to his or her sword and lashed it across the left shoulder of her dress, ripping the strap. She frantically grabbed at it as it fell down.

"You…" she accused, inhaling deeply.

"Me," Leo returned calmly. He walked past Piper to his horse, knowing she was too stunned to counter a move back at him. He slid his sword back into the sheathe attached to the saddle and turned around. Piper was tying the two ripped ends of her strap together.

"Ah, Piper, quit your worrying. I like it falling down."

"Yes, and that is _precisely_ why I am tying it back up," Piper said as she finished tying it.

()

"They're good."

"He was taught years ago and does publicly in Camelot. Challenges people just to show off."

"He's egotistic."

"…A little." Leo smiled.

"He taught her well." Piper nodded to herself.

()

They rode near the gates of Camelot, but weren't within earshot or sight of the gates' guards. Leo stopped and jumped off his horse. Piper watched him turn and look at her.

"What?" she laughed.

"Nothing, I'm merely wondering when you are going to join me here on the ground."

Piper smiled and slid off of her horse. "Better?"

"Much." Leo walked up to her and stopped when he was less than a foot away. She didn't move. "Much better," he whispered, pulling her close.

"Leo, the guards--"

"Are out of sight, out of mind."

Piper cocked her head to one side. "And _you_, _Prince _of_ Camelot_, are seducing a _maid_ from _Lioness_," she reminded him with a smile.

"Not my point."

"What's your point, then?"

"Is it working?"

Piper didn't answer for a few seconds, just stared at his eyes. Just before she opened her mouth to speak, he stopped her with a passionate kiss. When he pulled away, she found an answer. "No."

"Ah, well, I tried," Leo replied, releasing Piper and turning toward his horse. He'd played the same trick on her earlier that day. He pulled it nearly anytime she needed to be swayed into something.

"No! No, no, no, no, Leo--" She reached him and turned him to face her. He met her with another deep kiss. They slowly pulled apart, and her eyes were still closed. When she opened them, she was smiling. He raised an eyebrow, expecting an answer. "Okay, it's working… And a little _too_ well, so go." She pushed him away.

"Fine, I'll go… But not until I know you're home, or at least on the way."

"Fine." Piper kissed Leo one last time before getting back on her horse. She stole another glance at Leo. With a short shrug and a quick kick in her horse's flank, she disappeared into the forest back toward Lioness.

Leo smiled a little and shook his head. He jumped back on his horse and rode to the gates.

()()()()()

A/N: **I don't know what I sword fight is like. I watched "Sword and the City" with Piper's sword fight with What's-His-Face. I watched it, paused it, and wrote down what they did. Then I fast forwarded to the next fight. Then, when I was done, I popped in First Night (Sean Connery...some other guy that I can't think of is in it, too...) and watched, paused, and wrote down what Lancelot did in his sword fights. So if I got it wrong, then the movies have got it wrong.  
****Well, I'm off to write! ::orbs out:: -- I wish**

**PS: Remember that scenes from these time traveling trips will be in future fics I write. About half of this chapter I took from a different fiction and copied. I plagerised (sp?) myself!  
So in the future, if something seems familiar, it was probably here. (have I said that before, or...am I just having deja vu...?)**


	4. 1832 pt1

A/N: **Stupid site...I've gone through so many different things to try to make up for the lost symbols for time lapses...**

**Sorry bout the delay, people. I'm trying to work out ideas and get ready for tests and survive this thing called GYM class and deal with crappy teachers and too much homework, and pushy mothers. All I can do is count down the days till X-mas break...**

**I'm ringing out my brain out to get ideas, and some ideas are dripping out. That's good. So...Here's what I rang out.**

****

_"So…"_

_"So…what?"_

_"What will happen to us--them?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"To...To Piper and Leo...Please. Tell me. We've moved in time again, and I wasn't ready. I barely knew them. My sisters. You."_

_Leo was silent._

_"We stayed only long enough to know a little. What will happen to them?"_

_"To us?"_

_"Yes. They were caught, I remember." Piper was curious. She wanted to know more about that life. They had disappeared only five minutes ago, turning up in the middle of nowhere. "What will happen to them?"_

_"They will fight the people of Camelot and Lioness."_

_"They'll fight for each other," Piper guessed._

_"They will fight," Leo repeated._

_"And…?"_

_"And…They will lose…And they will win…"_

_"What?"_

_"The city…Both countries are against them. She is…She leaves. She doesn't come back, and he eventually marries another. He thinks of his lost love everyday. His father dies and he and his wife take the throne… His wife has a child, and the baby dies of the fever when he was about a week old…"_

_"What else?"_

_"He considers one evening the possibilities of his life if he and his lost love had fought harder…He leaves the castle to find her."_

_"Does he?"_

_"He does." Leo sighed._

_"And…"_

_"And…It had been five years since he had seen her, and a week after finding her, his men found him…"_

_"They were torn apart once more."_

_"Yes, and no. After a year, she returned to Camelot to find him…She had a baby with her, a little girl."_

_"His child."_

_"His, yes…The townsmen found out about her and their history…She was outlawed even from Lioness…One morning, he found his daughter in front of the door to his room…He went to find her mother, and when he reached her small home in the forests, it was in ruins. Burned down, her body inside."_

_"That's horrible."_

_"Despite the outbursts and the disagreements, he ordered that she be buried in the cemetery behind the castle with a Royal burial. Afterward, his wife raised the toddler as if she was her own…No one spoke of her real mother, and she assumed the Queen was her birthmother…She grew and married, and the Queen died shortly after. It was then he decided to tell her the truth…At first she hated him, then she understood. A few years passed, years full of stories and memories and tales of her true mother. He passed shortly after his daughter gave birth to a little boy…She ordered that he be buried beside his true love, and he was. She raised her son, and that's all I know about them…I wish I knew more, but…"_

_"It was terrible, what the people did to them."_

_"It was…"_

_"…So where are we?"_

_"West. Actually, more like the middle of America. Eighteen thirty-two…"_

_"Awesome…" Piper smiled._

**1832**

"Get the hell away from me!"

"C'mere, Girl!"

The hand grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around to face what it was attached to. The ugly man…He was drunk, she knew that.

No way was she about to be taken by him. His short dark hair and bloodshot eyes…She hit his face and ran. He staggered backward, and got his balance as she ran out of the saloon. He chased after her and caught up. He threw her to the ground and she looked back up at him as he advanced on her.

She kicked him in the gut from the ground, and he fell onto his back. She started to scramble to her feet when his hand wrapped around her ankle and brought her down. She cried out as she fell back down and tried to crawl up once more.

A gun fired and the bullet flew past her face and into the arm attatched to the hand around her ankle. He howled in pain and fell back into the road. She was breathing as heavily as he was, both of their chests heaving up and down. She looked away from the squirming man and saw the people coming out onto the street, watching. She looked behind her to the man who fired the gun. He walked up to her and she struggled to push herself up and brush herself off before he reached her.

"Thanks," she muttered, taking her hat off momentarily to brush the dirt off of it, only to put it back on again, shading her eyes from the hot sun, "but I had everything under control."

"Thought you might need my help."

She laughed. "Never."

"Always," he corrected.

She took a step and tripped, falling to the ground. She groaned, pulling her pant leg up to look at the bruise left on her ankle.

Her rescuer knelt down beside her. "Piper…" he sighed. "He hurt you."

"No."

"Piper, he left a bruise on your leg. Come here." He stood up, but bent down to extend his hand for her to take. She looked up at it as if it were some foreign object, but after a moment, took it. He pulled her up easily to her feet, and she stood on one.

"Thanks, now let me go."

"Oh, no."

The man who had attacked her was carried away, alive, but smarter than he had been five minutes ago.

Piper stared up at the man who she just could not figure out for the life of her. "Why are you doing this? Just let me go home."

"Of course." He stepped aside and let her limp past him. He wouldn't have it. She would not walk home like that. He walked up to her and stopped her. "Still want to walk?"

"Yes," she growled, glaring at her boots. He was blocking her path. "Let me pass." She started to go around him.

"Oh no you don't." He stepped in front of her again and swept her body up into his arms. She was taken by surprise too much to react.

Once she figured out she was in his arms and he was carrying her down the road, she protested, her fists flying and her legs kicking. "Let me go! Leo, let me down! Lemme go! Bastard!"

He ignored her and walked to his horse. He set her on the mare and got on himself. Piper was silent until they rode up to her house. She had been grumbling threats under her breath the entire time, though.

Leo stopped the horse just at her porch. He didn't let her jump down. He got off the horse and looked up at her. She glared down at him until he held his arms out to her. Instead of protesting, though, she jumped into his arms. He caught her and lowered her to the ground. Again, she stood on one foot.

"I can make it from here."

"No," he told Piper, picking her up once more. This time, she punched him, but he kept walking. He walked her all the way into her house and into her bedroom, dropping her on the bed. He tipped his had to her and left.

A/N:** So was it good? Bad? Okay? I've got some good ideas for the next chapter, so I better start writin!**

**By the way, yes, the chapters named "1832" are spoilers for Love is a Myth. You WILL see things, if not everything, which is most likely, taken from these chapters and used in Love is a Myth in the future...And because I love that story so much, I'm having fun writing some good Piper/Leo moments with it. Lots of fighting, some quiet moments, some sarcastic ones... 's all good!**


	5. 1832 pt2

**

* * *

I know, I spent little time in 1550, but I _really_ wanted to get to this time. 1832, one of my favorite time periods, and the setting of Myth. I promise I'll spend a lot of time here. Promise. Like…four chapters or more.**

**Also, I know that the characters have the same names. They will. It's just easier to write it with them having the same names. So yeah, there will still always be Piper, Prue, Phoebe, and Leo, but the girls won't always be sisters.**

**WARNING: this chapter contains a major spoiler for "Love is a Myth". One little line, GIANT spoiler. It may not seem so big at first, and it _may_ seem hard to find, but it's there! It's a spoiler! Big 'ole spoiler!**

* * *

"What the hell was that?"

"That was an egotistic woman being helped by an egotistic man."

"Um…"

"It's eighteen thirty-two, remember?"

Piper nodded.

"In this time, you…She married a man who didn't truly love her, and nearly lost her ranch because of it. She eventually found herself, and tried to fall for another man, but it didn't work. He…has had as bad a life as she, and is…subtly…bringing her back around to love. At least, he's trying. She's a tough case, you know."

"I can understand why…"

"She had it hard…He's there to help her, but he's in need of her help, as well."

"Why?"

Leo sighed. "Just watch."

* * *

"What is this?" Piper asked, walking outside.

"_She_ is for you," Leo replied calmly, walking the a horse up.

"Why?"

"I heard about your horse and thought you needed one, considering the kind of work you do."

Piper sighed. She was still in shock from her horse's lame leg. He was her best horse, and she would never ride him again. She scanned the mare Leo brought with her eyes. She was truly a magnificent animals She knew that the mare was Leo's, it was the only horse he rode. Her pure white coat and long mane and tail. She stood so proudly; she definitely knew how beautiful she was.

After a silent moment, Piper said, "Leo, I can't take this gift. I don't want anything from you. I've already told you that. I want nothing more from you but for you to leave."

"Piper, take her."

Piper looked at the beautiful horse. "Leo…" She shook her head. "Why do you even want to give away a horse like that?"

"She was my wife's," Leo answered quietly.

Piper managed a small smile. She looked from the horse to Leo. "I can't accept this. It's not right," she said, shaking her head slightly. "You shouldn't give her up."

"Piper, please. I can't keep her. She's too demanding for me, the kind of horse that needs attention. The attention that I know you can give. Please take her. She's a wonderful horse."

"Leo, I can't take your wife's horse."

"She's not my wife's anymore. She's yours…" A few silent seconds went by before Leo spoke again. "Whether you like it or not," he said with an almost smug tone and a matching smile.

Piper shifted her weight to the other leg. She walked forward a couple of steps. Leo didn't budge. She held her right hand out and he handed the reins to her.

"Now give me one of yours," Leo said.

Piper smiled. "Jackass."

"C'mon. Give me your worst animal. I need a horse, Piper," Leo insisted, the solemn moment seemingly forgotten.

Piper thought for a second. "Okay…" She nodded for him to follow her to the barn. He did, walking behind her to see how she walked his horse.

Leo smiled slightly. The mare belonged with Piper, not with him. She was the last tie to his wife. He had to break the bonds.

Piper led him into the biggest barn. She tied the white mare up outside a stall, saddle and all, and walked up to a stall. Inside was an all-black mare. She had no white on her feet, legs, body, or head. She was standing in the very middle of the stall, staring straight at Piper.

Leo came up next to Piper. "So, this is the worst horse you've got, eh?" he asked.

"This is death, Leo."

"Death. Hi."

"No, this horse is suicide. Riding her is impossible. I've tried it. She's worse than a cowboy horse. She's possessed by the devil himself."

"Every devil's got a little angel, Piper."

"No. I change my mind. Not her."

"Why not?"

"Here, take the stallion. He's a better riding horse," Piper said, turning to walk up to a horse sticking his head out of a stall, ears alert. She ran her hand down his forehead. When she got no answer from Leo, she looked around slowly. She had to do a double take.

Leo was standing in the wild mare's stall. She was backing into the corner, her ears flat against her head, one front hoof up, curled toward her stomach. She bowed her head to show him her forehead.

"Leo, get out of there!" Piper hissed.

Leo didn't answer. He advanced on the mare slowly, and she kept backing away until she hit the corner of the stall. He held one hand out at her, making quiet shushing sounds to calm her. Piper was quiet until he reached the mare.

"Leo, that's suicide! Get out!"

"Shh."

Piper closed her mouth. She watched silently as Leo made his way up to the mare. He touched her forehead and nose, then her mane. She flinched and pulled away from him.

After a long ten minutes, Piper's jaw dropped. Leo was standing beside the horse, his hands running along her shoulders, legs, neck, and back. Her ears were up, calm, but her head was turned to watch him carefully.

Soon, Leo had the mare by the rope halter, leading her slowly out of the stall, coaxing her with quiet shushing sounds and coaxing words. He tied her up carefully outside her stall, then went over to the white mare. He took her saddle, saddle blanket, and bridle off, and brought it over to the black mare. He slowly and cautiously set the blanket on her, letting her get used to the feeling once more. Then he placed the saddle over it, but didn't buckle it. He waited a few minutes before, very slowly, starting to buckle the saddle.

It took a long time, but Leo had the mare in a saddle and bridle, and was sitting on her, walking her around the corral. Piper hadn't spoken a word the entire time. Leo looked up at her from where he had been leaning over in the saddle, watching the mare's feet.

"She'll do, but I'm keeping my saddle and bridle."

Piper didn't nod or speak a word.

"Saddle up the mare."

"First of all, I don't take orders from you. Second of all, give her a name," Piper told Leo.

"The Mare."

"The Mare," Piper echoed.

"Yes. Mare. Now go on, saddle her up."

Piper grumbled a few words under her breath, but got out a saddle blanket, bridle, and saddle, and did what Leo had told her to do. She stuck her right foot in the right stirrup and swung up onto Mare. She sat on the saddle for a moment, just petting the horse.

Leo gave the black mare a kick in the flank and disappeared from the barn. Mare took off after her owner before Piper could even react.

* * *

Piper caught up with Leo in a clearing in the forest. He was sitting on the mare, and she was standing still, her neck stretched out to the ground to munch on the grass. He was staring at something. Piper rode up beside him and saw what he was looking at. She sighed.

"What is it?"

"It's a wedding arch."

"For…"

"Yes, for me," Piper sighed. "Long ago, it was for my husband and I…"

"You and…"

"Gordon, yes…"

"It's so worn…" Leo whispered.

"It was very beautiful a long time ago..." Piper got off of Mare and touched the arch, running her hand along its curves and twists and edges. It was hand-carved of wood, painted white, though the paint was chipped and mostly gone. "Ouch." She pulled her hand away quickly, revealing a splinter in one of her fingers. She pulled it out. "But...beauty never lasts…" she sighed, holding the small chip of wood up in front of her eyes.

Leo watched her silently, trying to imagine what had happened to her. He knew all of the details that he could gather, and what he picked up from Piper, but some facts about that failed marriage were unclear to him. He didn't ask. She would tell him in time.

Piper looked up at him. "What are you thinking about?" she asked quietly.

His gaze snapped to her face. "…I was thinking…about you and Gordon…"

"Oh." She looked down. She thought about everything she had to go through with that man. All the pain he caused her and the ones she loved…Tears formed in her eyes. Tears of anger.

In a sudden burst of hate and rage, Piper kicked the base of the arch, where it went into the ground. She screamed as she did it, and kicked it again and again.

Leo jumped to the ground and grabbed Piper by her shoulders when she started throwing her fists at the arch. She twisted and squirmed and screamed at him to let her go. He managed to turn her around to face him, holding her wrists to keep her from hitting him. Her screams were suddenly sobs as she still vainly tried to flail and jerk her fists out of his grasp. Tears soon started to creep down her face, and she slowly stopped fighting him. He slowly pulled her against his chest.

Piper's screams and fusses were sobs, and she cried, somewhat involuntarily leaning against Leo. She mumbled a few things about Gordon, about her rage, but nothing more. He held her head against his chest and tried to quietly calm her down.

Her sobs slowly turned to sniffles. From there she was quiet, just leaning against Leo's chest. After a moment of silence, she whispered, "I can hear your heart…"

He kissed the top of her head on impulse, but she didn't pull away. "Under all of that?" he asked, referring to the fact that his long coat was closed.

"Yes."

Piper looked up slowly. Her eyes caught his and she was unable to move. Before anything could happen, he pulled away. She closed her eyes, irritated, and he mounted his horse. He smiled slightly.

All in good time.

* * *

**I know, it was short for the length of time I made you guys wait. Did ya find the spoiler? Did ya? Did ya? Did ya? Should I shut up? Should I? Okay. I will.**

**Don't forget to R&R! I--I mean...The purpleish-blue box loves it!**


	6. 1832 pt3

**Ah, another chapter of Always--FINALLY! I wrote this at four o'clock in the morning. That's how devoted I am...I write a hell of a lot quicker in the wee hours of the morning...My thoughts come easier, I guess...**

**Okay, I forgot to keep track of who reviewed Chapter 5...So I went into the review history beside the name of the fic, and I pulled out all the Chapter 5 reviews...I hope I got all of you. If I didn't, I'm sorry...**

* * *

**PiPeRAnGeL39: I think Brain heard you. At least I hope she did...**

**foureverCharmed: I got another evil ending for ya! And no skipping ahead!**

**scullymulder1234: I'll take that suggestion**

**Chub: You might not be wrong about that spoiler. Tell me what you think the spoiler is! Glad you find me believeable...Wow, that's a strange-lookin' word, isn't it?**

**piperleo4eva: Um...You said you were looking for the spoiler...I have to look for it, too!**

**winter blaze: Glad you found the spoiler!**

**megan: More! You're welcome!**

**Pruedence.Halliwell: Wow and Cool? Sweet? That's gotta be good, right? Glad you like it!**

**meenyrocks: You like it too? Good thing. I aim to please.**

**I-Can't-Think-Of-A-Name-Lol: Can you not think of a name??? You had enough energy to say Update, and that was all I needed to update!**

**Gryffindor620: Cool? Cool is good!

* * *

**

**We're still in 1832, guys (and girls!).**

* * *

"Want some help?"

"No, Jacob, I--"

He cleared his throat. "Okay, let me try this again."

Piper looked up not to see Jacob Armstrong, the man who was nearly her brother, but her recent worst enemy.

"Leo, I don't want your help."

"Of course you do," Leo said. "With Jack on a drive, Jo in another town, and Prue and Phoebe fixing things with the Sheriff, you're the only one working today."

Piper had pulled two stacks of hay out of one of the barn stalls as Leo spoke. "There's Jacob," she said, going into another stall for a bucket.

"No, there's not."

Her head appeared out of the stall, followed by her body. "Where is he, then?"

"With the Sheriff. He went down to help his sisters."

Piper sighed. Leo was right…Jack had taken a hundred of the horses and some of the men from town on a drive to Kentucky. He wouldn't be back for another few months. Jo was in another town to see her sister, who was sick with the fever. Their crazy daughters got themselves into trouble at the saloon the night before, and the Sheriff had called Prue and Phoebe down to sort things out.

That seemed to be the Armstrong family lately. That was okay with Piper. The Armstrongs had been her family since she was a small child. They were just living their lives, and she was still living in the afterglow of bringing their lives back to them.

The man she married betrayed her and made her life a living hell. She had managed to get that life back when Leo appeared. He changed her in more than one way.

He made her hate him.

And the more she hated him, the closer he got.

And so she hated him more.

But she expected him to be here today. When she looked up at him, he was watching her. She got caught up in his eyes, but forced herself to look away. She was still ashamed of when she broke down in front of him. She was still nervous because he held her, because his arms were around her, holding her to him. She was nervous because he had kissed her. Okay, he had only kissed the top of her head, but still…She'd worked so hard to stay away from him, and then she'd broken down in his arms.

No one had ever come as close to her as Leo just had that day. Not since Daniel Gordon. But he treated her wrong and he paid. But she paid in the end.

She'd decided after Dan took her money that she should never trust another man again. That they were after her money.

They were.

Right?

Right.

And so was Leo. He just wanted her money. That was why he hounded her. He wanted her ranch and her horses. He wanted nothing from her but her fortune.

Right?

_

* * *

"I don't get it…What's going on?" Piper asked. _

"You…She married a man who loved her for her business. She raises horses and sells them and ships them all over. The man she fell in love with cheated her out and stole all of her money. She tracked him down and, after some struggle, got it back. She nearly lost her ranch."

"Oh…"

"Her dad left her when she was young, after her mother died. She grew up living with a different family, friends of her father."

"Hmm…What place do you have here?"

"He's…He's kind of on a mission to open her heart back up."

"With a strange method."

"She's wearing down…Anyway, he's more of a, uh…a lost soul himself. He's haunted by his past. He was told by a…reliable source…that she needed his help, and here he is."

"Helping? Looks like she's_ doing the work in the stable." _

Leo smiled.

* * *

"Need some help?" Leo asked again. 

"No," Piper said firmly, turning her back on him to walk toward the exit of the barn. She was carrying two large wooden buckets full of food with her, one in each hand.

Leo ran to catch her and grabbed the bucket from her left hand. She started to protest, but decided not to. A little help may not be all _too_ bad.

Then again, it _was_ Leo.

She reached for the bucket, but he held it out of her reach. "Where're you goin' with these?" he asked her.

"To the fence."

They carried the buckets to the fence. She dumped the horse feed into a large wooden trough, and he did the same.

"Now what?"

"Now you leave."

"Ah, you can't get rid of me that easily."

"So I've seen…"

They were both silent for a few seconds. Piper looked up at Leo. "Leo, look…About the other day…"

"Are you explaining yourself?"

Leo took a step forward and Piper stepped back.

"Yes, I…I shouldn't…"

Leo took another couple of steps and Piper backed up.

"I'm sorry, I…I was over the line…I was just angry and upset and…well, I haven't gotten it out in a while…I'm sorry."

All the while she was talking, Leo was advancing on her. She kept backing up on instinct.

"You're apologizing? For crying?"

Piper nodded. She backed up another step and hit the side of the house.

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Piper questioned.

"Don't apologize." Leo took another step forward, but Piper couldn't back away. "Why should you? You did nothing wrong."

"I was childish."

"You were upset. You were lied to. Led on. You had every right to be upset. And you weren't childish."

Piper was silent. Leo's face was only inches from hers now and she was lost in his eyes once more. But she knew he was just going to walk away. He would lean in close so that she could feel his hot breath, then he would smile, tip his hat, and leave.

She braced herself for it.

"Don't ever apologize for somethin' you didn't do wrong, Piper," Leo whispered. "Ever."

Piper just stared.

"I'm serious. I don't want you apologizin' to me, either. Ever." Leo paused for a few seconds. "I need to watch out for you. You know I'm here when you need me--always."

This was it. She was all ready for him to just walk away.

_Walk away, now! Just walk away!_

He leaned in closer. She could feel his breath on her lips. _Just go_, her mind pleaded. _Don't make it harder…_She didn't think she could take anymore. _Just go now…_

This was the part where he leaves.

…Then again…She could always be wrong about these things…

Just when Piper thought she was going to explode, Leo moved forward and pressed his lips against hers. Piper melted. She closed her eyes, forgetting that the man who was kissing her was the same one she hadthought ofas her worst enemy just ten minutes ago.

At first she wasn't sure of what to do. Should she pull away and hit him or lower her walls and let it continue? She couldn'treally debate the decision; she could barely think.So she wrapped her arms around Leo's neck and deepened the kiss.

He pulled away suddenly. She opened her eyes, confused, and looked up at him.

"Piper…"

"...We're gonna pay for that, aren't we?"

He nodded slightly.

* * *

Damn it! 

He let her get too close. He let himself get too close.

It was all a game until he got lost in her eyes. He had her backed up against the wall just how he wanted, and he had her realizing she didn't need to apologize for what was beyond her control. But then…Then he had to go and look into her eyes.

He'd done it a million times. He's stared at her and pictured her eyes in his mind. He'd locked his eyes with hers countless times. And he had power each time. He had control.

But he got lost that time.

And he screwed up and kissed her.

As soon as his lips touched hers, though…He couldn't move…He was in a different world. He realized now just how important it was _not_ to get too close. To make _her_ want _him_, not the other way around.

Just seeing her, waiting like that…He wanted to walk away, to leave. It would have been so much better. It would have worked out so much better…

But _no_…

He had to kiss her.

* * *

Damn him… 

Damn him to hell.

He had to lead her on like that…She was ready for him to walk away. She was ready for him to leave. She was prepared and braced. She was ready for anything.

But she wasn't ready for him to kiss her.

Not ready at all.

But as soon as he touched her, she was lost. She went into some sort of dreamland…She was in heaven on earth…

Why did he kiss her?

Piper groaned. He just _had_ to kiss her…It changed everything. And she was right, they would pay for it sooner or later.

But it was a hell of a kiss.

He'd never kissed her before…She'd never been kissed like that before…It was slow and soft and gentle, not like the rough pecks Dan gave her…The worst part about it was that when Leo pulled away from her, she wanted more. She didn't want him to go.

No! No! He needed to go! He needed to go far, far away! He was her mortal enemy! She hated him!

She kissed him. She kissed the man she hated.

Well, he kissed her.

Piper sighed. It was all so confusing…What was she supposed to do? What was Leo thinking? She wondered what he thought about it, but she wasn't about to face him to ask.

Damn him to hell.

* * *

**Um...Don't have much to say...**

**Hope you liked it!**

**Review!**


	7. 1832 pt4

**Hey, sorry about the delay. I've had this chapter ready for a few days but I got really sick and stayed in bed...Okay, I'm still in bed, but anyway...I reread it and changed a few little things that made it better, because if I'm gonna hand you guys a short chapter it'd better be good, right? Well I'll say that this chapter should leave you guessing.**

**Thanks to: **

Magical Princess:** Awesome is good!**

chattypandagurl:** 5 - Ooh, a new reviewer! Hello! Yeah, I love Piper/Leo moments...I'm good at writing them, too, as far as I can see...**

scullymulder1234:** Huh?**

winter blaze:** Early? It was like ten at night over here in Boringville.**

Samantha:** You DID wait, didn't you?**

Michelle:** Glad you love it! I think it's a pretty good story, too! (Hi, I'm Hannah, but my friends like to call me Captain Ego)**

foureverCharmed: **Muah! Muah! Muah! Muah! I just wanna thank... jumps up THE LITTLE PEOPLE! Whoa...headrush...**

patricia:** I know, you can't expect much else from me except a great chapter! You know, I wrote like twenty pages of one fic in like one night. I was up until about 6:30AM. And they were twenty AWESOME pages! Something about nighttime...I do love the night...And if obviously loves me! I had to add input from the present Piper and Leo otherwise the whole thing would have just been another chapter of Love is a Myth, since that's what the whole 1832 time period is based on.**

cattypandagurl:** Was it a short chapter??? Huh...I didn't look. lol.**

CrazyGabs:** Glad you love it!**

piperleo4eva:** Thanks, I'm workin' on it.**

melodieeidolem:** Thanks!**

_**

* * *

**_

_"What happened? Why is she angry?" Piper asked urgently._

_"Um…I'm not sure…" Leo shook his head._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I mean I've never been able to see this far."_

_"What does that mean? Does that mean he--you--whatever…Does that mean you die?"_

_"I don't know…I think so."_

_

* * *

_

It was three days before Joanne got home. Piper was lying in bed. She'd made a little food for Prue and Phoebe, but they'd baked bread later when they'd gotten hungry.

"Piper?" Joanne came into Piper's room. "Piper, Prue and Phoebe say you've been in bed all day. That true?"

Piper nodded, staring up at the ceiling.

"What's wrong, dear? You ain't sick are ya?"

Piper shook her head. "Not sick…No…"

"What's wrong, then?" Joanna sat down on the bed beside the girl who came to be her daughter at age three. She pushed some hair out of Piper's face. "Piper…" she said quietly.

Tears started to well up in Piper's eyes.

Joanne took a stab in the dark. "Something happened with that Wyatt, huh?"

A tear slid down Piper's cheek. She was lying on her back so the wet tear slid down to her ear. Joanne wiped it away with her thumb.

"What happened?"

Piper sobbed quietly. She rolled over and hugged Joanne's leg and cried silently.

"Somethin' happen to him?"

Piper shook her head. "No…He, uh…"

"What'd he do?"

"God, he got so close…And I was so ready for him to pull away, and…"

"He kissed you," Joanne guessed.

Piper nodded frantically. "Yes! And I couldn't pull away! I tried, but…" Piper sobbed and shook her head. "I can't face him now…"

"When did this happen?"

"Three days ago…" Piper sobbed. "I can't face him…I haven't seen him…"

"Oh my…You two are certainly a strange couple…"

"We are not a couple! We ain't married, and we ain't gonna be!"

Joanne chuckled. "Okay, honey…Okay…"

Piper ended up at the saloon that night. She had a few drinks and was falling asleep at the bar counter when Leo walked in. He made a beeline for her and sat beside her on a stool. Piper turned to face the opposite direction.

Neither of them said anything for a moment. Piper started to relax, staring at the wooden wall. She took in a sharp breath when she felt his hand on her arm.

"Piper…"

She didn't turn around. She couldn't.

"Can you come outside?"

She didn't nod or shake her head. She just stood up and left. Leo followed. He followed her around to the side of the saloon. She was determined not to be backed up against that wall, though. There was no way she was going to let herself be vulnerable.

"Piper, look…I never should have kissed you."

"Damn right you shouldn't have!" Piper exclaimed.

"But I'm not sorry I did."

That caught Piper off guard. She looked up at Leo. "What?"

He stepped forward and she backed away. "I said I'm not sorry."

Piper groaned. "Leo…"

"No, Piper. I'm not sorry at all. You shouldn't be sorry, either."

Piper sighed. "But I am."

Leo shook his head. "No you're not," he chuckled. "I know you're not."

"It should never have happened."

"Maybe you're right. But you're glad it did."

Piper stepped back and found herself against the side of the saloon. _Damn it!_

Leo moved up to her. As he moved closer, she started breathing heavier, her mind racing with thoughts of three nights before.

He moved closer and locked her hand near her waist in his. Her eyes shot down to her hand, then back up to meet his own eyes. Her breath came faster.

"…Leo, please don't."

"Don't what?"

"…Don't…Don't pull away from me," she whispered.

He shook his head slightly and kissed her deeply. He made sure to go slow; he was in no rush. When he pulled away, Piper's eyes were closed. She opened them slowly.

"Thank you," Piper whispered.

He kissed her again, just as passionately but this time with a quicker pace. He pressed his body against hers, pushing her against the wooden side of the building.

"Leo…"

"What?"

"Will you take me back to the hotel you're staying at?"

"No."

"To my house, then?"

Leo shook his head and Piper's face fell. "No. Not tonight. You drank too much. I can't risk your trust now," he said as he backed away a couple of steps.

"I _don't_ trust you. I just want one night."

"No."

"_Why_?"

"You're drunk."

"I'm always drunk!"

Leo shook his head.

"I'll sober up!"

"Then I'll tell you what just happened here and you'll hit me."

"I won't hurt you."

Leo chuckled. "It never did hurt…Okay, once. When you hit me in the face…That kind of hurt," he admitted.

Piper grinned and giggled. "I won't hurt you." She stepped up to him and put her hands on his chest.

"You could never hurt me."

"Then why won't you—"

"Because _I_ don't want to hurt _you_."

Piper seemed to sober up right then and there. She gazed at Leo as her hand raised slowly to cup his cheek. Very slowly, she pulled him down to kiss her. The kiss became more passionate very quickly.

"Please…Please, Leo, let's get out of here…Take me away from here."

Leo looked down at Piper. She was actually begging him to take her. He stared into her eyes for a second before kissing her.

"So can we go? Leave?"

Leo didn't answer.

"We can always come back when I get sober. We'll bring lots of whiskey and I can stay happy with you forever."

He still didn't say anything.

"What's wrong, Leo? Why are you afraid of me?" Piper moved closer to Leo. "I asked you not to pull away from me and you didn't. Now I'm _telling_ you. _Don't_ pull away from me, Leo."

This time it was Piper who kissed Leo. When they pulled apart he called his horse and helped Piper onto the mare. She turned around to look down at him, her eyes asking when he was going to join here. In a silent answer, he stuck his foot in the stirrup and swung onto the saddle behind her. He took the reins of the horse.

"Where are we going?"

"Away. You said you wanted to go away."

Leo gave the mare a short kick in the flanks and she broke into a swift gallop into the night.

* * *

**I'm not going to say anything about anything. I'll say nothing about Leo dying and I'll say nothing about where theywent that nightor what happened to them. I won't say anything about what WILL happen to them.**

**That's it for 1832. I'm moving on to 1942—That's right, World War II...and Lily. ::laughs evilly:: I'm going to try to contradict the show as much as possible in this time period, because they SCREWED UP in Season 2, Pardon My Past. They made Leo alive in 1924 as an adult, when he was ALREADY BORN! He was just born, according to the show. The show is so confused...Charmed has confused itself...But never fear, for Hannah is here!!!!!**

**Okay, so no one knows what happens to them at the closing of their time together in 1832, or at least the closing of the time we get to share with them...hehehe...I can't get too far into it otherwise I'll be giving away too much for Love is a Myth. But these chaptersin 1832were all spoilers for Myth...You'll see.**

**Bye bye Old West...Hello World War II...**

**::laughs hysterically like an idiot::**

**(ahem) Don't forget to review.**


	8. 1942 pt1

**OMG! I thought I'd already posted this chapter, so I wrote the next one! I am _soooo_ sorry! Good news: I've got the next chapter already! Okay, so we're in 1942, with Lily. Well, Lily's in this chapter. She's not in the next one.**

**Okay, well thanks to:**

**livingwyatt: Thanks! **

**patricia: **He had to be alive in '24 if he was going to war in '42. Actually, he would have to have been born much earlier than that, otherwise he would've been EIGHTEEN when he died! Then again, a lot of soldiers in WWII were seventeen or eighteen. But Leo CAN'T be THAT young! I'll fix it all for us! Never fear, Hannah's here! BTW, I didn't go much further into 1832 because I can't give too much away for Love is a Myth.

**Chub: **That's good that you've forgotten the spoiler! Now when you see it in Myth, it'll be a surprise! Yay!

**PiPeRAnGeL39: **Workin' on Myth. I'm building a bridge over this big river called WRITER'S BLOCK.

**chattypandagurl: **Who said it conquered (sp? I think it's right) all? Leo still dies in the end, it's inevitable! And Lily's heart is broken when it happens. But I kinda like writing them together, because I've got my own image of Lily and in my mind, they make a sweet couple.

**syad yniar: **I've been waiting to get to get to 1924. I'm having fun writing this time period.

**scullymulder1234: **OMG YOU TOO? lol, the 1300s, 1832, and 1924 are my favorite time periods. (and two of those are in this, and the other one is close. They're still the ages with kings and castles and knigts, and I love that)

* * *

Lily took a step forward. "Please, Leo." Tears were already forming in her eyes. "Don't do this." 

Leo closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, he had tears as well. "Lily, I have to go back…You know how much I care about you…" he whispered, his voice choked. "…How much I love you."

"If you love me, you won't go."

"I have to."

* * *

_"Leo, what's happening?" Piper asked. "Are we in the early 1900's?" _

Piper looked up to see Leo staring in shock at the scene unfolding before them. He shook his head slightly and took a step backward. Piper followed him. She took his arm to steady him.

"What's happening?"

"…I'm…leaving."

"Who, you? Or…" Piper turned around to face a slightly younger version of her Leo and a young blonde woman. "Him."

"Him. Me." Leo turned Piper to face him. "This isn't a past life. This is my_ life." _

Piper smiled slightly. "It's my_ past life." _

"Oh, God."

"What?"

"It's just…I never thought about it…Your past life was my life."

"Yeah."

"Piper, I knew you."

Piper's smile faded into confusion. "Huh?"

"I didn't remember much after I died. I remembered my sister and my parents and I remembered Lily—" He turned and stole a glimpse at her before turning back to Piper."—but I knew some things were missing…Oh, God…" he groaned.

"What?"

"I met you when I was at war. See, they were already planning D-Day and were planning for troops in France. America was storing troops in Russia because there were too many in England. So my infantry was sent to Russia and—"

"I'm a little Russian Jew?" Piper asked. "Oh hell no. I'm a pure, red-blooded American," she said.

"You were hiding with a Christian Family from the Nazis."

"You're kidding."

"You were trying to get to America. Your family had already left but you didn't know if they'd made it—"

"Did they?"

Leo looked down at Piper. "I don't know. I died before I found out."

Piper took a deep breath. "Okay," she said as simply as possible. "So if I'm in Russia why are we here?"

"It all started here," Leo said quietly.

"With Lily?" Piper asked.

Leo nodded slightly. He and Piper watched the soldier and his wife cross a bridge over a small creek hand in hand. "She just found out I had to leave in a week."

"A week? You waited until a week before you had to go to tell her?"

"I'd only found out the day before. I told her as soon as I could."

"How did she take it?"

"How do you think?" Leo sighed. It was strange to talk about Lily with Piper. "We spent most of the night in the park, until a cop told us to leave. Lily about kicked his ass…" He smiled slightly. "There."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Sir, but you and your lady friend are going to have to vacate the park. We're closed," the police officer said to Leo. 

Leo opened his mouth to speak but Lily did all the talking. "_Lady friend_? Ex_cuse_ _me_? Do I look like a prostitute walking with her pimp to you? Pardon me for wanting to spend one of my last nights with my _husband_ before he goes to war. And I will think twice before ever again longing to be outside on a beautiful night. How foolish. What ever was I thinking?" Lily snapped.

The police officer stared at Lily in shock, as did Leo. The officer looked at Leo. "A soldier, eh? Well, then…Happy to let you stay, just be out by eleven p.m., if you will." He started to walk past them when he put his hand on Leo's shoulder and said, "We need more brave boys like yourself to serve for our country."

* * *

_Piper smiled. She actually liked Lily's rant. She looked up to see Leo watching the blonde woman with intent. She could tell by they way he looked at her that he missed her. She could also tell that he hadn't seen her face in years._

* * *

When the officer left, Lily muttered something under her breath. Then she looked up at Leo lovingly and took his hand again. 

"He's right, you know…You boys are brave."

They continued walking through the park, lighted only by the moon and a few nearby streetlights.

"Oh, no, we're complete idiots for doing this. But Rick, Nathan, and I agreed."

"You know, though…"

"Hmm?"

Lily stopped walking and turned around to face Leo. "I'm tired of them calling you boys. If you were seven-year-olds going to war, you would be _boys_. If you were twelve-year-olds going to war, you would be _boys_. You are all _men_. Who would be brave enough—"

"And dumb enough," Leo added as they started walking once more, heading for a large oak tree in the middle of the park.

"—and dumb enough," Lily nodded, "to go to war, to fight Hitler?" Lily stopped again. "Tell me who," she said.

Leo sighed. "Many men, I suppose."

"That's right. Every able-bodied man in this town is either in the war or is going into it," Lily said.

"Your point?"

Lily grinned and playfully hit Leo in the chest. "I don't know…Don't go. That's my point. Don't leave. Don't leave me alone here."

"Lily—"

"If it's for pride forget it. You don't need to prove yourself to me. We're married. I don't care who you are or what kind of man you are so long as you love me."

"You think this is for pride? Lily this is what I _chose_ to do. My friends and I made this pact. To fight for our country."

"Can't you break it?"

"I wouldn't even if I could."

"Stay for me, Leo! Do it for me! You said you'd do anything for me!"

"Lily…"

Tears were in her eyes again and she knew she'd failed to make him stay. She sighed a little and hugged him. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too. You have no idea how much I love you…I'm so sorry I have to go."

* * *

_"Leo?" _

Leo looked up from the ground and met Piper's eyes with his own. He didn't say anything.

"In shock?"

He nodded.

"I think I can understand that…You haven't seen her in years, have you?"

"No…I wasn't expecting to, either…"

Piper stared into Leo's eyes for a few silent seconds. "You missed her."

Leo nodded and looked away. "I missed her so much."

"Leo?"

Leo glanced down at Piper.

"…Do you still love her?"

* * *

**Okay, um...Hope no one was offended by the "little Russian Jew" thing...Um, I'm a Russian Jew, and I'm not offended, so if you were then you're just...YOU'RE A POMPUS ASS, IS WHAT YOU ARE!  
****ahem  
****Sorry.**

**Review! I'll update soon, too!**


	9. 1942 pt2

**Sorry, guys, I know I said I'd have this chapter up sooner, but I haven't been online in a while.I know you're all wanting to know Leo's answer to Piper, butyou're not going to get it in this chapter...Maybe in the next one, aye?**

**Thanks to:**

**anonymous: Oh, come on. think up a name, dude! (or dudette...sp?) I have an idea! Call yourself...Miggs2! In honor of my old name! (kidding, I was kidding)**

**syad yniar: Here's a question: Why rainy days? Why not...syad yunns! Huh, that doesn't look right...Okay, never mind...Ignore that. Forget it. Wipe it from your memory...yunns...lol. If you liked the last chapter I think you'll love this one...I know I loved it...We're going to study WWII this year (8th grade) and my teacher loves WWII too so we'll spend extra time there (yay!)**

**patricia: It's not bad if he still loves Lily. They WERE married, you know. And sorry, no answer in this chapter, it's all Piper and Leo (in RUSSIA-woo! go russia!)**

**chattypandagurl: I know I'm right...I also know I'm arrogant and egotistical.**

**piper+leo4eva: Everyone is making a huge deal about Leo loving Lily. Oh my God! They were freaking MARRIED! As an answer to your question: YES, he still loves her, AND he loves Piper (in 1942 present-time). If you pay attention, you'll see him telling Lily he loves her, and telling Piper that. Sorry, Leo won't answer in this chapter. But you know anyway.**

**scullymulder: I love to rant! I'm good at it!**

**foureverCharmed: Your name reminds me of the song "Forever Young". I don't remember who sings it though...**

**Chub: Not really a good question, I don't think...Makes for a good answer, though, doesn't it?**

**candlewick866: 1-Thanks!...2-Can do!...3-You too? Yeah, I just threw the "didn't mean to offend anyone" in there just in case.**

* * *

"Piper!"

A young Piper, in her early twenties, looked up quickly through the smoke. She saw her twenty-year-old cousin running toward her, carrying a baby.

"Is she okay?" Piper asked, taking the baby from her cousin.

"She's fine."

Piper kissed Baby Brooke's forehead and handed her back to her mother. Phoebe hugged her year-old daughter tightly. She looked up, her hair being blown about by the wind. "Where's Prue?" she yelled over the noise of the shell bombings and the gunfire.

Piper's heart skipped a beat. "Prue? I thought she—Oh my God." Piper pulled her hair back with her hands. "She must be back at the temple! We can make it if we run! There are soldiers there! They'll take care of us!" she yelled.

Phoebe nodded and tightened her grip on her daughter. They ran across the street, Piper looking to her side only to see bodies and guns and fire.

They made it to the temple where three soldiers were firing across the street into the attic of a home. One of the soldiers yelled at them to get inside, and they obeyed without question.

Their cousin Prue was sitting with a soldier in a pew. They were both praying, her prayer in Russian and his in American.

"Prue!"

Prue and the soldier turned to look up at Piper and Phoebe, who was still holding Brooke. Prue stood up, pulling the American soldier up with her. His helmet was on the pew, along with his rifle.

"Oh my God," Prue whispered. "With all the bombing, I thought…" she trailed off.

Piper hugged her cousin, but then turned her attention to the American soldier. She immediately ran up and hugged him. "I thought you were dead," she cried. "You and Prue…" She pulled away. "I thought your company was stationed outside Moscow."

"They moved me."

"Oh." She hugged him again.

An officer ran into the church. "Wyatt! We need you out here!"

Leo looked up and nodded. "Sir." He grabbed his helmet and rifle and started to leave the church when Piper grabbed him.

"I love you."

He kissed her quickly. "I love you, too. I have to go."

"Promise me you'll come back?"

"Always."

Leo ran out of the church and when the doors closed, Piper rushed back to her cousins. They shared a group hug, and Piper broke away first to walk to the front of the temple and knelt down to pray.

"Who are you praying for? We're all safe. We're all together."

Piper glanced over her shoulder at her cousins. "I am praying for our mothers, our grandmother…" she sighed. "…And I am praying for Leo and his American brothers," she added, wincing as they heard the roar of explosions from the bombing outside the temple.

Brooke started crying. Another officer and two soldiers dragged three wounded men into the temple. The cousins jumped. Piper jumped up to see who the men were, her heart rushing in fear. When she knew none of the men were Leo, she wasn't sure if she was relieved or even more frightened.

Two medics rushed in to help the soldiers, pushing Piper away. She stumbled back and caught her balance on Prue. The sounds of bombs and the smell of gunpowder got to Piper and she turned around and hugged her cousin as tears made their way down her face.

"Ah! Son of a bitch!"

"Hold still!"

"Get it out! Oh, God, get it out!"

"Hold him down!"

Two soldiers held down the wounded man as Leo pulled a knife from the guy's lower leg. The soldier screamed and panted for breath.

"Get him inside the temple! I just saw two medics run in there!" Leo shouted.

One of the soldiers turned around to see soldiers run into the temple. They weren't American. "Son of a bitch! Wyatt, they're in the temple!"

Leo's head shot up. Over the screams and bombs he couldn't tell if anything different was happening inside the temple, but he knew that if his officer saw something, someone was in there who wasn't supposed to be.

One of the soldiers carried the wounded man away, and Leo, his officer, and two other soldiers ran for the temple. Other men were running for it, as well.

Before they opened the doors, they could hear screaming and gunfire.

Piper.

They forced the doors open to find four German soldiers unloading their guns on the five Americans in the temple. They quickly shot down the Germans in a flurry of bullets, but the wounded Americans and the medics were dead. Leo's eyes scanned the temple for Piper and her cousins, but couldn't see them.

They heard a scream and looked to the back of the temple, where a German soldier was holding Piper in front of him as a shield.

"Take them both out!" Leo's officer yelled.

"No, wait!" Leo stopped the officer.

The soldier who had Piper was shouting threats in German while holding a gun to her head, his arm wrapped around her neck holding her still and choking her at the same time. Piper was barely struggling to get away, knowing it was useless. She shrunk down as much as possible as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She was praying in Russian and when the German tightened his grip on her neck, she screamed some words at him and fell back into prayer.

"Let her go!" Leo yelled, even though the German didn't know what he was saying. "Let her go!"

"Just take them both out!"

"No! We have to save civilians!"

"We can't save them all!"

"The hell we can't!"

Before one of the other soldiers could kill Piper and the German, Leo aimed his gun. "Get down!" he shouted in Russian, one of the phrases Piper had taught him.

Piper looked up. She registered the words Leo had shouted and shrunk down as much as she could again, ducking her head. She continued praying aloud.

It all happened very fast. There was some more shouting, then she felt the impact of the bullet hitting the man holding her, and she felt his grip loosen on her as she fell backward. She shook herself free of his hands and his grip and looked up at Leo, hugging herself.

Leo lowered his gun.

Piper crumbled down to her knees on the floor of the church. The blood of the dead German soldier pooled around her. She soon felt two arms around her again, and she fought back at first, afraid of who was grabbing her.

"Piper, shh. It's okay…"

Piper sunk into Leo's arms and cried hard. He stroked her hair and rested his head between her neck and shoulder.

"You know her?" Leo's officer asked.

Leo scooped Piper up in his arms. Blood that had soaked her clothes dripped onto him and onto the floor. She cried into his chest.

Leo nodded. "Yes, sir."

The officer nodded. "Good work, soldier. I want you back on the field in ten minutes. Got that?"

Leo nodded again. "Sir."

The officer ran out of the temple with the other soldiers. There was blood on the floor everywhere, from the American soldiers and the Germans. Leo didn't care for the time being.

"Piper…" he whispered.

Piper sobbed. She wrapped her arms around Leo's neck tighter.

Leo carried her to a pew and sat down with her. She crawled into his arms once again, wrapping her arms around his neck and torso and cried into his chest. When her hand touched his gun, she flinched and recoiled as if she'd touched something hot. She moved her hand away. He took off his helmet and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Where're your cousins?"

Piper cried harder. She didn't need to say a word, and Leo knew. Soon they heard a baby crying. Piper jerked away from Leo and ran to the crying. She gasped when she saw Brooke sitting on the floor alone. Piper scooped the little girl up and turned around to face Leo.

"Where're their bodies?" he asked quietly.

Piper looked at him as if he'd hit her. "Outside the temple. They ran…I guess Brooke fell…" She hugged the little girl tightly and cried. Leo took her in his arms again.

"I want this war to stop," Piper sobbed.

"I know. Everyone does."

Piper twisted away from Leo. "Then make it stop!" she yelled, still holding Brooke. "Make it stop!"

"I can't."

"Try!"

"We are. That's why we're here."

"And all it's done is get everyone killed! My cousins are dead! I could have been killed! For all I know, my mother and my aunts are dead, as well!"

"Piper, I can't make the war stop. I can't make everything go back to normal."

"Why the hell not?"

"I'm not God, Piper."

"No, but you're an American soldier! You were sent here to fix this! Now they're all dead! Everybody's dead! Why aren't I dead?"

"Because you were meant to live."

"And they weren't?"

The same officer ran into the temple. "Wyatt, let's go!"

Leo looked back at Piper, his hands on her upper arms now to hold her steady. "I have to go."

"No! Don't go! If you go, you will die with the rest of them!"

"If I don't go I'm a coward. A traitor to my country."

"Leo, please!" Piper begged.

He shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry." He kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you, too. I love you so much. Never forget that."

"Piper—"

"If you die out there, swear you will die knowing I love you. Swear you will die loving me," Piper pleaded, gripping Leo's arm with her free hand.

He kissed her again. "I swear."

"I can't lose you, too, Leo."

"You won't."

"Let's _go_!" the officer shouted.

Leo glanced at the officer, then looked back at Piper.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Leo ran out of the temple with the officer. "Guess you know her better than we figured, eh?" the officer asked.

"Yeah."

"Well we came here to save lives, not sweep the Russian girls off their pretty little feet."

Leo shook his head. "I did save her life. And if I can do both, then—" Leo fired at some German soldiers and shot them down. "—why the hell not?"

* * *

**I think that chapter could've been a WWII movie scene...I loved it, hope you guys did, too! like I said, one or two more then the finale. I feel bad about killing Phoebe and Prue...I don't know why I did, really...But I saved Brooke! Yay! BTW, Brooke was Phoebe's daughter...Doesn't really matter, but now you know...Don't hate me for killing them.**

Okay, so...Review!


	10. 1942pt3

"They're…Dead?"

Leo barely nodded.

"Leo, I don't get it…" Piper shook her head. "I thought you were a medic."

"I—I was…There were so many soldiers killed they needed extras, replacements. There weren't enough so they basically pointed at men and said, 'You ready to kill some of Hitler's soldiers?' The main answer was, 'What the hell'…"

"So they recruited you."

"Yeah."

"We were cousins…My sisters and I?"

"Yes."

"And the Germans killed them…"

Leo nodded.

"…I'm still confused…I thought you were married to Lily…"

"I was."

"Then why…"

"Different country…Different rules. A lot of men were married, and a lot of them had affairs. Started new relationships…"

"Why?"

"They knew they wouldn't make it home."

"And you…?"

"I never planned on meeting you. I never planned on our relationship then…You hadn't either."

"Why didn't you remember us?"

"I don't know…Maybe the Elders…There's a lot about the War I don't remember…I mean, it's all coming back to me now, but…"

"…Did I…Did I know about Lily?"

Leo nodded. "Yes. You knew about her. You saw her picture the day we met."

"I knew you were married, I knew you loved your wife, and we still…?"

"I told you, different country, different rules."

Piper sighed deeply. "So do you still love her?" she asked, not sure who she herself was referring to. Was she asking about Lily? About her past life?

Leo answered calmly. "I'll always love both of them…But they're both part of my past, even your past life…And the fact that I have you now and I had you then means we're meant to be."

Piper smiled.

* * *

By morning the next day the temple was destroyed. Leo found Piper at her home. It was reduced to rubble, like the rest of the town. He found her sitting on the charred bed, rocking Brooke in her arms gently. He walked up from behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

Piper jumped up and turned around defensively. When she saw Leo, she sighed. Setting Brooke on the bed for a moment, she hugged Leo tightly.

"You're alive…" she whispered.

"I promised, didn't I? Besides, I rather like staying this way. Alive, that is."

Piper sensed something was wrong. "What happened?"

"…We lost a lot of men."

Piper closed her eyes.

"They're moving us again."

She wrenched away from him. "What?"

"Not far. About three miles away."

"What? No, Leo, you can't go!"

"I talked with my sergeant…He said you can come with us."

Piper's eyes lit up, but then she stepped back. "I can't."

"If you stay here, you risk death."

"Look around you, Leo! We're risking death simply by being alive!"

Leo stepped around the bed and took Piper in his arms. "You're safer with us. I'm not guaranteeing you life…" He closed his eyes. "Just a better chance. We can take you to England. You're much safer there."

"I don't want to go to England, Leo! I want to stay here! I live here!"

"You don't have a home, Piper. It's gone."

"I can't go…I can't stay…"

"If we can get you to England, you can take a ship to America."

Her eyes lit up again. "I can?"

Leo nodded. "We're headed that way anyway. We're planning on being back there in two months. Three, tops."

"That's so long."

"You've waited long enough, I know. But you will be safer with us. It's not anything fancy. We don't live the high life out here."

"Will I survive?" Piper asked.

"Your chances of making the journey are barely less than mine."

"So if you die, I'm done for…"

"No…I'm not going to die out there and neither are you."

"What about Brooke?"

Leo sighed. "Between disease…lack of food…bombings, shootings…She may not make it to England…"

Piper took in a breath.

"But she could."

Piper shook her head. "No…I can't go. I'll just be in the way. I'll get someone shot. Maybe you. Maybe myself…"

"This opportunity doesn't come by often, Piper. You have to take it. It's your chance to live. To make it to your aunts and your mother and your grandmother."

"…What do I need to take?"

Leo closed his eyes in relief. "Whatever you can carry."

* * *

The unit moved as far as they could in one day. At dark, they set up camp. Piper and Brooke were separated from Leo while the unit was moving. They rode in the back of a jeep with wounded soldiers. Piper helped the nurses tend to the men. Brooke cried for her mother but slept most of the time.

As soon as the camps were set Piper fell into the crowd of people. No one seemed to notice her. She walked up and down the camps and tents and scanned the small circles of people sitting around little fires outside their camps. Holding Brooke in one arm with her other hand supporting the little girl, Piper searched the camps for Leo. She hadn't seen him in hours and was nervous, scared, hungry, and cold.

She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and whipped around to see Leo. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was wondering where you were."

"They've got all the camps set up and me and four other soldiers are brushing up on our cooking skills."

Piper nodded and smiled. She hugged Leo. Brooke moved away from Piper and into Leo's arms.

"Here, follow me. Maybe you can help us."

"Okay."

Leo led Piper back to a group of tents with four American soldiers sitting around a small fire like the other soldiers. One of them was cleaning his rifle. Piper shuddered when she saw it. She averted her eyes to glance at the other three men. All three were staring at a can sitting over the fire. They looked up when Leo walked up with Piper and Brooke.

"Get yourself a daughter, Wyatt?" one of the men asked.

Leo smiled slightly. "You never know."

"Who's your friend?"

"Ah, Piper. She's coming with us to England. And her cousin Brooke is coming along as well."

"They told us we were just coming to shoot some of Hitler's troops and now we're escorting civilians into another country."

"Shut up, Jones," one of the men snapped. He looked at Piper. "Don't mind him. He's always a jerk. Doesn't know how to act around ladies." He stood up and introduced himself as Scott Roberts, shaking Piper's hand.

"Roberts thinks he's a charmer," Leo explained. He shifted Brooke in his arms.

The other three men introduced themselves but didn't get up. Charlie Jones was poking the contents of the can with a stick now, letting it cook over the fire, Caleb Schaefer was cleaning his rifle, and Justin Monroe was falling asleep.

"Can you cook?" Jones asked suddenly.

Piper laughed. "Of course."

"Can you turn beans and rice into a meal, then?"

"Beans and rice _is_ a meal. Just…mix it together." Piper looked at the rice. She took the bowl of it from Jones and took the can off the fire tenderly, being careful not to get burned. She poured the beans into the bowl and stirred it with a metal spoon Roberts had handed her. Then she gave the bowl back to Jones.

"We got any bread?" was all he asked.

The men shrugged.

Piper glanced over at Brooke, who was asleep on Leo. She sniffled in her sleep. Piper smiled slightly at the little girl and listened to Leo give Schaefer some tips on his rifle. She didn't care to listen, but the bowl of beans and rice was being passed around and she was waiting for her turn. Brooke would be hungry soon, too. In a normal world, in her town, she would have eaten first and fed the baby first. The men would have waited.

Piper sighed.

It wasn't a normal world anymore.

* * *

When everyone had eaten and the fire was dying out, they were all still sitting outside their tents. Brooke was inside Leo's tent, sleeping peacefully. Jones said goodnight and went into his tent.

Roberts looked up at Piper, who was leaning against Leo's shoulder. "I assume the lady's sleeping in your tent, Wyatt."

Schaefer laughed and Piper chuckled to herself. Her eyes were closed.

"As a matter of fact, she is," Leo answered. "And it's probably best we go to sleep now. We'll be up at dawn, anyway, and that's just a few hours off."

Soon after, Schaefer grabbed his rifle and said, "'Night. Hope you all make it to the morning."

"Ha. Funny."

"I wasn't joking."


	11. 1942 pt4

**Can I say something? OMG WHY DO THEY HAVE TO CHANGE THE LOGIN SITE? It was just fine how it was! And the new rating crap SUCKS! Who says We have to chose what AGE GROUPS should and shouldn't read OUR stories?**

**UGH!**

**happy face...put on a happy face... ... :-)**

_

* * *

_

_psychokitty3: You can't say you're not psycho if PSYCHO is in your name! lol!_

_anonymous: OoO! A "!" BIG DIFFERENCE! No, seriously, there IS a difference. Okay, you're off the hook. I know! I loved the last lines too! God, I am SOOOO good! lol_

_Paige Halliwell-Matthews: Don't worry about Brooke, I would never hurt her._

_charmedchick4eva: Some other people said they loved the last lines too! I don't know how it came to me, I guess my sarcasm spills over into my writing...One of my charms...blessings...curses...you know!_

_Magical Princess: Interesting, huh? Wait until you read this!_

_scullymulder: A favorite? yay! Oh, guess what? My other email, the SqurlGrl one...I forgot the password...lol, I'm stupid, I know...And why wouldn't they live till morning? They're the stars!_

_Piper Chris fan: I was thinking about doing a future glimpse, but I'm not sure yet._

**_Sorry if I left anybody out, I'm not sure if I did. I lost the reviews on my computer and whatever was saved came back up..._**

* * *

Piper walked up to Leo in the field. She had Brooke in her arms and was holding the little girl as tight as she possibly could without hurting her. Leo was sitting in the grass leaning against a lone tree. He was writing a letter.

"To Lily?" Piper asked quietly.

Leo looked up at Piper for a second. He nodded, said, "Yeah," and looked back at the letter."

Piper nodded. "What does it say?"

He sighed. "I'm not telling her about you, if that's what you mean."

"It's not."

Leo looked up at Piper once more and she nodded again.

"Okay. I won't ask."

He looked down at the letter again, finished writing it, and folded it up. He put the paper and pen in his pocket and sat still for a few seconds. He sighed and looked up at Piper, who was smiling at him.

"Hear that?" he asked, referring to the bombing in the distance.

She nodded.

"We're a day's travel away from that. That's how loud it is."

She nodded again and set Brooke down in the grass to crawl.

"We'll be in England next week."

Piper smiled brightly. "I'm glad."

He stood up. "You should be. I'm surprised you made it this far. Both of you."

She was still smiling when she hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?"

She pulled away. "For this…For being there for me…For taking care of me and Brooke…For being a soldier."

He kissed her and she didn't pull away.

Brooke made a noise when they broke the kiss, and Piper hugged Leo again. She let the side of her face press against Leo's chest as he held her and she smiled at Brooke, who was sitting in the grass and holding her hands up to Piper and Leo.

Piper gave a sigh.

* * *

There were people everywhere, civilians, soldiers, officers, families reuniting for the first time in months or even years. Piper held Brooke tight as she watched a British soldier with an Air Force patch on his uniform pick up a young girl of about three or four from his wife. He held the young girl up in the air and it looked as if he were about to cry.

Piper kissed Brooke's forehead and thanked God she made it. She looked up when Leo came up to her.

"Off you go."

Piper looked at him. "I wish you could come."

He sighed. "We've been through this."

"I know…I just wish…"

They'd talked about it already. Piper had already pleaded Leo to come with her. He refused. He really couldn't. The war wasn't over yet, and he wasn't wounded, so he couldn't leave. If he did it would be treason.

They'd also talked about Lily. When the war was over, Piper wanted to know who Leo would go home to.

"Lily," he'd said.

Then he thought about it and said, "I don't know."

The truth was that he really _didn't_ know. He had an obligation to his wife, and he loved her so much. He'd dedicated his life to her. They grew up together, they spent so many years of their lives together. He loved her.

And he loved Piper. God, he loved Piper. If they had met in America, he would have married her right away. He would have taken her as his wife as soon as he saw her. He'd risked his life for her, brought her here to keep her and her niece safe. He would have died for her, jumped into the line of fire to save her life. He loved her more than life itself.

But he had to go back to Lily. She was his _wife_.

But Piper…She was _the one_. The only one.

He couldn't, though.

He had to, but he couldn't.

How would he even know how to find Piper when the war was over anyway? At least he knew exactly where Lily was. All he knew was that Piper was riding a ship to New York. He didn't know where she would end up and he didn't know how he would find her if he even survived the war.

If he even survived.

"Leo?" Piper's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Huh?"

"You…spaced out."

"…Oh."

There was an uncomfortable silence between them, the first in a long while. Leo watched the reuniting families, then his attention turned to a woman talking to a general, Leo's general. He was telling the woman that Scott Roberts, one of Leo's friends in their Infantry, was killed in battle two weeks earlier. Leo had to look away when the woman broke down crying. She knew that Scott and Leo had become friends from the letters Scott sent home.

"You should ask your sergeant," Piper said. "Ask him if you could…escort me to America. Then you and I could disappear. Forever."

"Piper…"

"Leo…Please."

He wasn't listening. His attention was caught by Scott's crying mother. Piper noticed and nodded for Leo to go over to her. He did, but with hesitation. Slowly, he moved passed the people to Scott's mother. She looked up at him.

"Who are you?" she said hoarsely.

"Ma'am, my name is Leo Wyatt, I was a friend of your son. We were in the same squad."

"Leo," she said. "You knew Scott?"

He nodded.

In a big sob, the woman hugged Leo tightly.

Piper watched from afar. She watched them talk for a few minutes, then Leo walked back over to her. He looked beaten.

Piper shifted Brooke in her arms, not wanting to put her down, for fear that the little girl would hobble away. Piper thought she had finally come to terms that Leo was not leaving with her. She thought that she finally understood why.

He needed to stay, to fight for his country. He needed to save lives so that mothers would not have to cry when their sons died. She thought she finally understood. She _did_ understand.

But when he hugged her, she couldn't let go. She refused. When she finally pulled away, she found herself crying. He looked to be on the verge of tears, as well. There was no way he wanted her to leave. If there were any—_any_—way for him to go with her he would. Absolutely.

But he couldn't.

"You want some help?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, secretly hoping that the ship would leave the dock when he was onboard.

Instead, a young teenage boy came up and took the one bag Piper had.

The horn sounded.

Piper's eyes shot up to Leo's. She set Brooke on the ground and asked the teenager to watch her.

"Will I ever see you again?" Piper asked Leo.

He shrugged. "I would hope so."

"I won't forget you."

"_I_ won't forget _you_."

They hugged again and shared a short kiss. When they pulled away, he stared into her eyes and kissed her again, a deeper kiss, full of more longing. When they pulled apart he pulled her to him to hold her.

She cried silently. She tried not to, but she couldn't help it.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she sobbed.

"All passengers boarding!" a man yelled.

Piper got Brooke from the boy watching her and picked her up. "Say goodbye," she whispered.

Brooke waved her little arm. "Bye-bye."

Leo took the little girl from Piper and hugged her. Brooke, who didn't understand what was happening, looked up at Leo with big eyes. "Be good." He kissed her cheek and handed her back to Piper, who put her back on the ground.

Leo turned his attention to Piper once more. They were silent for a moment before he kissed her. He pulled away and kissed her forehead gently.

"I love you. I swear I will always love you," he told her.

"All passengers boarding!" a man yelled again.

Without saying a word, Piper turned away slowly, letting Leo's hands out of hers. She met up with the boy holding her bag and watching Brooke. They climbed aboard the ship. Brooke looked over Piper's shoulder and waved. Piper didn't look back until she was on the ship. Then she turned and gave a halfhearted wave to Leo. She mouthed some words.

"I love you."

_

* * *

_

_"I died the next week."_

_

* * *

_

**Aww, how sad! Btw, that last line was Leo, in case you haven't realized that.**

**I think the next chapter will be the last! Don't forget to drop a review!**


	12. Always

**Um...Okay this is the last chapter of the story. I really wanted to wrap it up but I just didn't know quite how...I know, this chapter...sucks. But I kinda liked it. :-D**

* * *

Prue and Phoebe sat on the couch, just hours after Piper and Leo left.

"I wonder when they'll be back…" Prue mused.

Phoebe sighed. "I'm bored," she said.

"Me too."

"I wonder what they're doing…"

"Leo said they wouldn't be gone long."

"It feels like forever…" Phoebe sighed.

"Tell me about it."

"I would, but I'm too bored."

Both sisters started laughing.

Suddenly the lights of orbs filled the kitchen and Prue and Phoebe jumped up to check it out. Leo and Piper were both standing in the kitchen, his arms around her and her face hidden in his chest. She opened her eyes and looked around.

"What year is it?"

"Well it's about time!" Phoebe said. "You guys have been gone for two months! We thought you were dead!"

Piper squinted at her sister. "You're wearing the same clothes."

Phoebe tried to think of an excuse. "…Every couple of months, you have to wear the same clothes twice, you know."

"Right, whatever. Now how long have we been gone?"

"Just a few hours," Prue said, then she and Phoebe hugged Piper. "So what happened?"

"Um…Lots of stuff…But I really just need to think for a little bit right now, okay?" Piper started for the stairs, leaving the kitchen. "I just…have some stuff to sort out…" She glanced at Leo and he knew she wanted to talk to him.

* * *

"We saw three of our past lives…And we were never allowed to stay together," Piper was saying later that night.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Doesn't it? I mean, we were broken apart in the dark ages, we had the most difficult, confusing relationship before the Civil War, and you died a week after I left for another country during World War Two."

"Ah, okay the World War Two thing doesn't count. That was actually my _life_."

Piper stared at Leo. "Good point."

"Besides, I think they'll be okay."

She looked up. "Who? Us?"

He nodded. "Sure."

She stared at him again. "What aren't you telling me?"

He held his hands up in surrender. "Nothing. You know everything that I know."

She still didn't believe him. "You're holding something back."

Leo shook his head. "Never."

"Still…" she said, falling against him, "I'm not sure if we'll ever be able to stay together…Not in any life…" She sighed. "We're pulled apart in _every_ life."

He smiled but she couldn't see. "Not _every_ life…"

_

* * *

"Leo!" Piper ran through the woods. "Leo!" she shouted to the trees, to the darkness. No answer. Not even a cricket chirp. "Leo where are you?"_

_Suddenly pounding footsteps shattered the nighttime silence. Piper whipped around to see Leo running toward her. She met him halfway in the clearing of the grove. As soon as he reached her he just fell into her arms and hugged her tightly. He was breathing hard and his heart was pounding from the long run._

_"I thought you'd left," she whispered._

_"Never."_

_She pulled away enough to look up at his face, lit up by the moon. Neither of them were sure what time it was, but they were sure that no one could find there here. They were alone. Finally. With no one after them._

_"No one's coming right?"_

_He shook his head just a little. "No one."_

_She sighed with relief and leaned into his embrace._

_"They couldn't take you from me," he told her._

_"They would have."_

_He shook his head again and rested his cheek against hers. "Never."_

_She wrenched away from him. "They would have, Leo! They wouldn't let me go! You know that!"_

_He pulled her back to him. "They couldn't take you from me. Not ever."_

_She sighed, feeling loved and safe in his arms. "I love you," she said honestly._

_"I love you," he echoed._

_"We'll be pulled apart again, you know," she said. She backed away from him again, slowly this time. "They won't stop until we're dead…or at least miserable."_

_He actually laughed at that._

_"It's not funny," she muttered, staring a the ground._

_"I know that…" He tried to take her back into his arms, and she finally fell into him. "But they won't go through with anything. You and I both know that."_

_She sighed again. "Just know that I love you."_

_He smiled. "I know."_

_"I love you," she said again._

_"They can't have you."_

_"They'll take me."_

_He shook his head. "They won't. I swear it. I swear they can't have you."_

_She smiled just a little. "Maybe we can make it in this life."_

_"In this life and every life after."_

_She looked up at him hopefully. "Promise?"_

_He didn't want to give her a promise that he couldn't keep for certain. But that look of hope was in her eyes and he couldn't make himself say no if he tried. "Of course…"_

_She smiled. "We'll always be together," she whispered._

_"Always."_

* * *

**I know, that was confusing and it made no sense...But I like confusing endings like that. Hope you enjoyed the story!**

**It's officially over! My second finished story! Yay! (now to work on the others!)  
Tell me what you thought of it!**


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